Angela Hui

Pancakes are a Shrove Tuesday standard, but what if you can’t be bothered to FIY (flip it yourself)? Eat out, of course! We’ve rounded up the best places for pancakes in town. In London, there’s more to these carb-tastic delights than sugar and lemon. From meaty, cheese-oozing galettes to American-style delights at brunch and decadent crêpes for dessert, these are the best pancakes in London – for the big day (March 1) and beyond. 

Have your frying pans at the ready because Pancake Day is just around the corner. In 2022, Shrove Tuesday falls on Tuesday March 1. While you can stick to your own trad recipe, London's best restaurants will be going flipping mad for Pancake Day this year. Here's how to have a blast with these memorable ways to spend Pancake Day in London – from specialist restaurants to Time Out’s foolproof pancake recipe and of course all the kits you can have delivered to make the day even more delicious. What is Pancake Day? Shrove Tuesday marks the last day before Lent, traditionally a period of abstinence, associated with clearing your cupboards of things like sugar, fat and eggs. It's known as Pancake Day because it represents a good opportunity to use up such ingredients. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.  When is Pancake Day? Pancake Day takes place 47 days before Easter Sunday. Because the date of Easter Sunday is dictated by the cycles of the moon, Pancake Day can occur anytime between February 3 and March 9. This year's batter action takes place on Tuesday March 1 2022. RECOMMENDED: More great things to do in London this February

The yearly unveiling of the Michelin Guide’s ‘Great Britain and Ireland’ edition is always big news in the food-nerd world. For very good reason, too – London’s one of the top-ranked cities in the world for fine dining. And it’s got plenty of those coveted stars. While Michelin’s expertise on expensive, upmarket restaurants is well known, the Michelin Guide has also been criticised for its lack of relevance to ordinary diners. Conspicuous by their absence are London’s more affordable places to eat. The 2022 list saw restaurants led by Iré Hassan-Odukale and Jeremy Chan at Ikoyi and The Clove Club, but no new full three stars. The canny eater, it should be said, should consider aiming at the board’s Bib Gourmand list – a kind of ‘highly commended’ round-up that doesn’t require the formal fripperies of the star system. Really, it’s where the most exciting stuff lies – newcomers on the list this year include Time Out faves Evelyn’s Table and Trivet, and plenty more places that also appear in our meticulously compiled list of the best restaurants in London. Still, if you’re feeling flush, read on to find all London restaurants with a Michelin star (or three). RECOMMENDED: The 100 best restaurants in London. 

Fancy a burger? Of course you do. The simple meat-between-bread combo is always a winner, whether for a fast-food fix or a gourmet feast. We’ve selflessly toiled away, trying and tasting a vast range of patties to compile this list of London’s best burgers. You can thank us later. London’s finest are utter meaty marvels: juice-seeping, humming with flavour and far more complex in creation than they’re ever given credit for. Roll up your sleeves and tuck in to the best flippin’ burgers in town.

The places on the Time Out list of London’s best restaurants have been handpicked by our experts and critics. This is about more than just great food, however. All the restaurants here also offer fantastic experiences: great staff, cool spaces, maybe even a leafy terrace if you’re lucky. And all at the right price. This doesn’t necessarily mean cheap (if you’re on a tight budget, check out our dedicated cheap eats list), but definitely does mean value for money. From the special-occasion destination to the cult shipping-container spot, if it’s on this list, we think it’s awesome. And we reckon you will too. Eaten somewhere on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutEatList Find out more about how Time Out makes recommendations and reviews restaurants. // //

From Sichuanese to dim sum and beyond, there’s so much choice that it’s hard to know which one to plump for. But Time Out’s food reviewers have eaten at all of them – many times, over many years  – to produce this definitive list on the best places to eat in Chinatown, including traditional dim sum parlours and stalwart Chinese joints that have been around for decades.  RECOMMENDED: Find more Chinese restaurants in London

Flowers, gifts and grand gestures are all well and good, but sometimes sharing a meal is the best way to conjure romance, especially if the food is superb and the setting special. The places in our list of London’s most romantic restaurants all provide excellent cooking in a space that will woo you before you’ve even sat down. From chic French spots to elevated Japanese joints, we’ve got somewhere for every amorous encounter, whether a big date, anniversary dinner or ‘Yay! We got a babysitter’ celebration. To paraphrase Shakespeare: if food be the food of love, munch on. But which are the best restaurants in all of London? These!

Peking duck, special fried rice and unctuous noodles are all delicious, but sometimes Chinese food is best eaten in exquisitely crafted bite-sized packets. London’s best restaurants for dim sum offer traditional buns, dumplings and rolls as well as renegade riffs on the old classics. And not just in Chinatown: you can sample London’s yum cha scene across the city, from a luxe west London hotel to a hip East End joint. All you need are a pair of chopsticks and a pair of elasticated trousers. RECOMMENDED: London’s best Chinese restaurants.

There’s a lot more to Chinese food in London than luminous-orange sweet ’n’ sour chicken and the old egg-fried. Whether you want to keep things authentic in Chinatown (still full or great discoveries), nip down to a treasured local or give your tastebuds something more adventurous to try, you’ll find brilliant suggestions on this curated list.  London’s Chinese-food scene stretches in many, many directions. There’s Cantonese dim sum, fiery Xinjiang hotpots, poshed-up teahouse staples, fragrant Sichuan dishes and classic Beijing duck, at restaurants ranging from high-end to the super-casual. Chopsticks at the ready!  RECOMMENDED: the best restaurants in Chinatown.

Meat-and-two-veg meals are so last century – everyone and their nan is a vegan these days, and London has stepped up to serve them. Some of the capital’s best restaurants offer fantastic meat-free dishes and there’s been an explosion of vegan-only joints.  Naturally, salad and veg are prominent on vegan menus, but inventive chefs have created plant-based versions of all our fave comfort food too, from burgers and hotdogs to fried chicken and kebabs. Check out our list of London’s best vegan-friendly restaurants to decide where to enjoy your next ethical feast. RECOMMENDED: London’s best restaurants for vegetarian food. Video: check out five of the best vegan spots in the city

Yes, there’s always been Soho’s majestic, meat-free Mildreds, but now London is bursting with great restaurants, cafés and street-food stalls that cater to people who want to feast without flesh. World cuisine has caught up too, with sunny Aussie riffs, healthy Med-influenced ideas and Asian and Middle Eastern takes on vegetarian food. It all tastes so good that it might even convert a carnivore or two. Our list of London’s best restaurants for vegetarian food showcases the crème de la crème of London’s veggie scene – get out there and tuck into your five a day. Fancy something even greener? Check out our round-up of the best vegan options in town.

Few sensations beat completing that epic volume that’s been sitting on your shelf for months. And this year – this patchy, patchy year – many of us finally did it. We found ourselves trapped at home, desperate for things to do. And actually, turns out, when it came to it, that book wasn’t so intimidating after all. But not only did we simply have more time to enjoy stuff like reading, we also went out of our way to do it because we needed an escape. We needed to be transported to new worlds, to open our eyes to new things, to escape the undeniable bleakness of reality. For many us, films, TV shows and books were our lifeline through the roughest of times. So, as 2021 comes to a close, we asked our editors around the world – literary nerds, one and all – to recommend one book that really resonated with them over the past 12 months. From old classics we really should’ve got round to before to new releases that properly rocked, here are the books that got us through the second (at times nice, but generally godawful) year of the pandemic. We hope you enjoy them, too.RECOMMENDED: The 20 best films of 2021 and the best TV shows we binged this year

Zahter is a properly gorgeous restaurant. It’s full of artistic touches, like exposed brick, industrial beams, brass lamps and a blue-tiled, marble-topped chef’s counter that surrounds a central, flickering charcoal oven. When I visited with a friend, all of this chicness and elegance was shown to us but then cruelly snatched away as we were ushered past the main dining area on the ground floor and taken upstairs to a basic-looking mezzanine level. I peered over the glass fence next to our table to look down on the diners below. I longed to be closer to the flames, the smoke and the action. Putting aside the seating envy, we focused on the torrent of hot and cold mezze plates, adorned with wood-fired Turkish goodies, that quickly arrived at our table. The kofte kibbeh (stuffed meatball) served with toasted pine nuts, tahini and labneh, was a robust, comforting and texturally smart dish, but it was a bit small to justify its hefty £18 price tag. The tomato-and-cucumber salad with walnuts and urfa chilli was remarkably punchy and zingy. And an ovenware dish of charred tiger prawns swimming in a sizzling crimson pool of aleppo pepper garlic butter was begging for a side order of freshly grilled pide bread to mop up all the sauce. The acidic, sweet and tangy pomegranate sauce was striking, and electrified the charred chicken Next, we were presented with a plate of greens, and initially thought we had been given the wrong main sharing platter. ‘Where’s the chicken?’ my pal asked,

‘This is a terrible restaurant! Don’t bother!’  Two women pushed me out of the way and slammed the front door behind them.  Awkwardness filled the air; everyone in the queue shot each other a look and the woman manning the cloakroom apologised profusely.  ‘I’m so sorry about that, we’re extremely busy and very understaffed for a Thursday evening.’   It only made me more determined to stick around and try the food for myself. Surely, it couldn’t be that bad? I was led through a small bar and into the dining room and my jaw hit the floor.  This new Soho Latin American bar and restaurant is the brainchild of Argentina’s hottest duo. Bartender Renato ‘Tato’ Giovannoni of Florería Atlántico (currently ranked number seven in the World’s 50 Best Bars) is in charge of the basement live-music bar Abajo directly beneath Sucre and executive chef Fernando Trocca oversees all things food. Together, they’ve taken over the London College of Music’s former home and this revamped ex-concert hall is truly a sight to behold. On one end, an open kitchen is flanked by opulent floor-to-ceiling marble columns, booths line the right-hand wall while gorgeous chandeliers dominate the ceiling. On closer inspection, I found they were made from loads of cut-glass decanters so you feel like you’re inside one of Yayoi Kasuma’s infinity mirror rooms. This stunning fairytale-esque dining room looked straight out of a film set and it could make other dining rooms pale in comparison from now on.  My friend and

The celebrated Taiwanese restaurant chain Din Tai Fung, which has more than 170 restaurants worldwide, opened its first European venture in Covent Garden in December 2018 and has now landed in Selfridges. A word of warning: don’t get lost meandering through the maze of designer bags and shoes in the department store, desperately looking for the restaurant, on an empty stomach because you will curse and you will get hangry.  Eventually, I found my way to the fourth-floor dining room and was welcomed by a mesmerising view of the kitchen through a giant glass window. I watched the team of dumpling-makers roll and pleat the restaurant’s signature 18-fold xiao long bao (steamed pork-soup dumplings) with speed and precision. My navigation and hunger woes immediately melted away. The restaurant is a sleek, minimal and modern space with a terrazzo floor, rattan walls and a big, wooden tree centrepiece with red pockets hanging off it ready for Chinese New Year. But it’s part of Selfridges’ shiny new ‘dining complex’, which means we could see other outlets – Pizza Pilgrims, EL&N Café – from our table. It felt like we were sitting in a soulless food court.  The menu here is a cut-down version of the Covent Garden branch’s offering. We started with a trio of cold appetisers: crunchy wood ear mushrooms swimming in a sharp ginger-and-vinegar dressing; vibrant, fresh green beans with diced pork and prawn; and a poached Shanghainese drunken chicken that tasted as silky as satin sheets. Bliss

Too many chefs in the kitchen? Nonsense! No such thing at revolving line-up restaurant Carousel in Marylebone. It’s all hands on deck with a special one-night Burns Night dinner featuring talent from Scotland’s finest including the likes of Edinburgh’s Heron, Ullapool’s Dipping Lugger and Glasgow’s Epicures. The three restaurants will come to together to cook up a mighty menu featuring Scottish classics such as Jerusalem artichoke tart, Orkney scallops, roe deer, haggis, neeps and tatties, accompanied by cocktails from The Botanist gin, plenty whisky and of course, poetry from the Scotland’s national poet himself. Sláinte Mhath!

‘We’ve tried to make it cosy, but sexy,’ says Paul van Zyl, chief creative officer of The Conduit members’ club, as he spots me looking round from my seat trying to take in the busy interiors of its new public restaurant Warehouse.  But nothing about this place screams sexy at all. Cosy? Yes, but it felt a bit too try-hard. There’s a tapestry from Swaziland, the tiles that frame the kitchen hatch are from South Africa and the bright turquoise-blue walls on your way to the toilets are adorned with a Durban dish collection. The room’s a loud and lively mix of colours and textures, with hanging woven lampshades, mismatched wooden chairs, gigantic plants and stone floors. I understand they’re trying to support craftspeople and use repurposed and vintage materials, but there’s a lot going on. It felt very jarring and incongruous to what was being served. As for the food, ex-head chef of zero-waste restaurant Silo Brendan Eades brings his environmental credentials to the table. The seasonally fluctuating menu has a focus on locally sourced ingredients from artisan suppliers and producers. I started with a refreshing, clean-tasting, luminous green Gimlet cocktail made with foraged sea herbs. With every sip I was reminded of the breezy, salty, sea air with hints of floral juniper botanics. My pal tried a pink drink made with whisky, foraged and fermented sloe berries and spent coffee grounds: a warming, fruity and punchy concoction. Seriously sublime tipples that were great for whett

‘Is this The Barbary?’  Two customers were standing at the front of Neal’s Yard’s freshest restaurant, looking puzzled.  ‘No, this is the new place, The Barbary Next Door,’ said general manager James Steel. He pointed to his left. ‘The Barbary is next door.’  I must have watched this same moment play out at least six times over the course of my dinner there. The Barbary Next Door has opened in the space where the Palomar-owned Jacob the Angel coffee shop used to call home. (RIP one of my favourite workspaces in central London.) Sitting adjacent to its sibling restaurant, it shares the same bar-counter dining concept as the original, but with half the space and a tiny open kitchen. Its simple pared-back interior, with white exposed-brick walls and a big mirror opposite the counter, gives the illusion of a bigger space. Wine bottles and glasses hang from the ceiling. For such a small sliver of a restaurant, the space is utilised in a very smart way. The place had barely been open for a week when I visited and it was already booked out. At one point during our Tuesday-evening trip, a horde of people all arrived at once and it felt very claustrophobic, so it might not be the best place for the Covid-wary. (There is one table outside in the courtyard for those who still prefer outdoor dining.) The candlelit ambience was a little too dark and, on the playlist, upbeat jazz instrumentals flowed into a rather interesting and creepingly loud version of Richard Strauss’s ‘Also Sprach Z

Chances are you’ve probably heard of Rita’s: co-owners Gabriel Pryce and Missy Flynn have been around the block for a decade. We’ve seen Rita’s here, there and everywhere in various guises, from a neighbourhood pop-up in Dalston to the sandwich-centred Bodega Rita’s in Coal Drops Yard. And now? They’ve made themselves at home on a plot of prime real estate in Soho bang opposite Andrew Edmunds.  On our Thursday evening visit, the place had barely been open for a week and it was already packed out with fashion types, after-work suits and late-night Soho revellers. We could see it all unfold from our counter window seats up-front: it’s a place to see and be seen. Interiors-wise it’s all super-cosy with diner-style red leather booths, wood furnishings, a rustic Mexican tiled bar and even a much-coveted central London enclosed garden space out back. Things started with a trio of nostalgic starters that transported us back to happier, simpler times. The deliberately messy tear-and-share garlic bread that looked like a puffy mushroom pillow was a tad on the doughy side, but all was forgiven thanks to the oozing herb-butter topping, which contained so much garlic that you’re guaranteed no vampires will come within a five-mile radius of you. So brilliant, we immediately wanted another round, but I’ve learnt not to get too excited and fill up on bread. It was swiftly followed by a plate of crackly potato explosions, essentially chunky loaded potato skins, but far, far superior to the d

Men are here! We make fire! Cook meat! That’s the general vibe of the place. Not in a literal caveman sense, but chef Niklas Ekstedt is a big name in Sweden for his signature ‘old Nordic’ analogue cooking techniques at his Michelin-starred restaurant in Stockholm. His long-awaited and much-hyped UK outpost plans to do the same and relies entirely on wood-fired cooking, with no electricity or gas. It’s housed in one of London’s most famous landmarks, Great Scotland Yard, which is neither in Scotland nor a yard, but has been recently renovated as a luxury hotel, part of the Hyatt collection. When you enter the former police headquarters you have to walk through an opulent white hallway that doubles up as a mini-exhibition showcasing police records and memorabilia preserved in glass boxes, complete with a rogues gallery. I have to admit, it’s a beautiful space with a lot of complex history, but let’s focus on the food here. The long corridor eventually leads through to Ekstedt’s lair – a very masculine Scandi dining room featuring a big exposed brick wall, lots of black hardware and bouquets of dried sage dangling from the vaulted ceiling.  For indecisive types (me), who panic when it’s their turn to order and they still haven’t made their mind up yet, you’re in luck. There are only two options here. Either the seven-course tasting menu for £135 or the three-course one for £75, with the option to add a wine pairing or a kombucha pairing (a somm-bucha, if you will), which is a re

It was a torrentially rainy Wednesday evening when I visited Toklas. My mate and I were the first customers to arrive. There was no music. Clattering from the open kitchen and the chatter of staff as they geared up for the night’s service were the only sounds to break the awkward silence. The restaurant remained empty until our starters arrived. By the time I was dunking homemade sourdough into glossy olive oil with fat, meaty green Italian olives, I was convinced that a) the place was haunted, b) I had accidentally booked out the whole space or c) we were in the wrong restaurant. Then, finally, some company. An artsy crowd walked in with an older-looking gentleman who I was convinced was Andy Warhol back from the grave, complete with his signature black turtleneck and floppy white hair. There was no mistake, this was the right place.  Toklas is the first restaurant venture from the founders of Frieze art fair and magazine, Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover, and it sits within the brutalist 180 The Strand building, also home to their offices and a cutting-edge art gallery. The main dining area resembles the kind of fancy mid-century space you might see on The Modern House website: the warm reclaimed parquet floor and iroko wood counter and table tops are paired with grey, concrete curved walls. A large, sunny Wolfgang Tillmans photograph of tomatoes and aubergines by a swimming pool takes centre stage on the back wall and sits smack bang in the middle of two cosy, emerald gre

You know that famous scene in America's Next Top Model where Tyra Banks gets maternal and shouts at a failing contestant: ‘I was rooting for you! We were all rooting for you'? That's how I felt leaving Cafe Cecilia last week. The restaurant is one of London's most-anticipated new openings of autumn. I was so ready for it to be brilliant, but I left a little disappointed. The front of house team was bright, friendly and welcoming, but slightly scatterbrained trying to keep up with the packed out Thursday lunch rush. To be honest, I don’t blame them because currently it’s so busy at the restaurant that lunch reservations are impossible to bag, (I managed to get lucky and sponged off a friend’s booking that they made weeks ago). This Hackney canteen, just minutes away from Broadway Market, is chef Max Rocha’s first place. The chef-owner holds a starry CV, having worked at some of the city’s best restaurants such as River Cafe, Spring and St. John Bread and Wine. And, if his surname rings a bell, that’s because the Dubliner is the son of Irish designer and entrepreneur John Rocha and his sister is fashion powerhouse Simone Rocha. He even enlisted the help of his family to open this place. The restaurant is named in honour of his paternal grandmother, his sister designed the staff’s uniform, mum Odette’s recipes are reflected in the menu and Dad consulted on the interiors.  The space is a bright white minimal room with an open kitchen that’s bathed in light from huge windows overl

Planque roughly translates to ‘hideaway’ in French and that’s exactly what you can do at this new wine drinker’s clubhouse and restaurant nestled under a pair of railway arches in Haggerston.  It’s a place to disappear from the world in; entering through a set of thick cream floor-to-ceiling curtains into a sleek and modern open-plan vaulted space. In one corner, there’s a cosy lounge complete with magazine reading nook with inviting chic sofas (sadly, the lounge is reserved for members only and to gain access there’s a monthly £80 membership fee, but you get access to the cool cellar, wine dinners and loads of other benefits, too). And in the other corner, there’s a private, eight-seat dining room tucked away in an ultramarine alcove that intriguingly pops against the white walls. And then there’s the cellar that spans across the wall. Thousands upon thousands of hyper-organised bottles take up most of its floor space of the restaurant, behind a giant glass wall. It’s seriously impressive stuff. But the main centrepiece? A 10m-long oak communal table, plonked right in the middle. It’s designed for big parties to take over or for solo diners, oenophiles and couples to mingle over glasses of wine. Planque really said social distancing was over.  The place had only just opened its doors, but the kitchen was already smashing it out the park on my Sunday lunch visit. It’s no surprise: Seb Myers (who came from P Franco and Chiltern Firehouse) is in charge of food, so you’re bound

The moment I walked into Bibi – through the heavy velvet curtain at its entrance – I felt like I’d accidentally stumbled into the dining car of a luxurious sleeper train making its way through India.  It’s a slinky alley-sized space, decorated in a warm colour palette of walnut woods, earthy reds and dusty pinks, and decked out with antique mirrors and lamps. It’s opulent without being too over-the-top, with a nod to art deco. My pal and I plonked ourselves on the bar in front of the open kitchen ​​where a multi-tiered sigree-style grill takes centre stage. Chef-patron Chet Sharma was a physicist in a past life, but he’s since built up an impressive amount of restaurant experience at places like The Ledbury and Moor Hall and as the long-time development chef at JKS (Gymkhana, Trishna, Brigadiers). Now, he has a kitchen of his own for the first time. It’s obvious that every detail here has been meticulously thought out. The name Bibi, which means ‘lady of the house’ in Urdu, is a tribute to Sharma’s grandmothers, who inspired his cooking. The Kashmiri fabric on the walls and bar stools is a nod to their shawls. And the food is influenced by his travels around India. I had no idea where to start when it came to ordering, luckily Sharma was on hand to navigate me through the menu. Whipping out a Sharpie pen, he started marking chaat, sigree and sides on the card, explaining in great detail what each dish was and where the ingredients were sourced from, as if excitedly reciting t

Female chefs are not uncommon, but there’s still a certain fascination with what it means to be a woman in such a male-dominated landscape and hierarchical environment.  According to data gathered between 2009-17 by the Office for National Statistics, only 17 percent of chef positions in the UK are held by women. They’ve been cooking professionally for millennia and in the restaurant industry, but the metrics by which restaurants are judged still don’t reflect that. In honour of this year’s International Women’s Day on March 8, we asked some of the most influential women in food and drink to weigh in on what change they’d like to see, re the industry’s gender imbalance, how they’ve learned to overcome challenges and what they would change to bring about a better future.  Photograph: Adriana Cavita Adriana Cavita, chef-patron at the soon-to-be-opened Cavita in Marylebone ‘As time goes on, it becomes more and more common to have female chefs leading kitchens and creating beautiful food, but you definitely have to work harder than a male chef to prove yourself. [Having a] private life can be very challenging and the job demands a lot of compromise. But it is very important to have confidence and keep cooking, keep making mistakes and learning from them, for ourselves and for the passion and love we feel for restaurants.’  Photograph: Esra Muslu Esra Muslu, chef and founder at Zahter in Soho ‘Even in this day and age there are still barriers in gender equity in many sectors.

Big Mamma Group is going west. They’re the brains behind those fabulously OTT and kitschy restaurants Gloria in Shoreditch, Fitzrovia’s Circolo Popolare, and most recently Ave Mario in Covent Garden. They’re the guys who believe more is more and have tried to capture the Sicilian coast sunshine to the heart of Fitzrovia by lining their walls with 20,000 liquor bottles and brought the Amalfi Coast to east London with their flower-covered ceilings. Yeah, those guys. Hot Dinners reported that the potential fourth site is taking over an old bank on west London’s High Street Kensington. Their new branch will have room for 180 diners, making it a slightly smaller site and will be a similar size to the first London opening, Gloria.  In terms of food and drink, what can we expect? Well, details are currently scant, but it’s no doubt that the people who brought you the ten-layer lasagne, an epic lemon meringue pie the size of a baby and a carbonara made before your eyes within a giant wheel of pecorino cheese will go above and beyond. The maximalism restaurant is set to open sometime in 2022 and we’ll update you all when we know more details. Find London’s best pasta restaurants and slurp up the good stuff. See our picks of the best Italian restaurants in London.

My first job was at my parents’ Chinese takeaway in my Welsh hometown. I was eight years old and I hated it. I stank of prawns and I had to stand on a plastic stool to reach the counter to be able to serve customers. Fast forward 15 years, I moved to London and eventually, after 30 years in business, we sold the shop. Looking back, growing up above a takeaway taught me so many life lessons and it helped shape my identity. Since living in the city, I find myself going to my local Chinese takeaway every other week to support it. The Chinese woman behind the counter sneaks in a bag of free prawn crackers with my order (shout out to Wendy at Wing Wah in Leytonstone).  The world of the takeaway has been a huge part of my life, so much so that I’ve written a book about my experience growing up above one in the rural Welsh valleys. Over the years, I’ve seen a change in people’s eating habits. Gone are the days when your options for takeout were limited to just pizza or fish and chips. Now, the choices are endless, from vegan chik’n to Nepalese curries and even Michelin-starred meals. In the not-so-distant past, takeaways operated on a cash-only basis, had no digital presence and handled food delivery directly. These days, an entire ecosystem of players is involved. There are takeaway-only dark kitchens, new technology by Slerp that gives restaurants the ability run their own online ordering systems, and alternative third-party delivery services like Dishpatch and Supper have sprung

During our sad little locked-down lives, getting a delivery was the highlight of our day – or often week. Plus it allowed us to rebrand ourselves from ‘too lazy to cook’ to ‘virtuously supporting local businesses during this difficult time’. That philanthropy doesn’t have to stop just because we’re at liberty to eat out again. It’s easy to rely on the big dogs when ordering in, but there are plenty of alternative food delivery services, many with ethical business models, offering restaurant dishes, meal kits, provisions or delicious ready-to-discover surprises from up-and-coming chefs. Here are six key players aiming to fast-track your breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Photograph: Sophie Davidson The community one What’s the deal? Started by Depop founder Simon Beckerman and Natalie Lee-Joe, former owner of the now-closed yakitori restaurant Jidori, Delli is the new kid on the food-delivery block. It’s a community-focused app for small businesses – even home cooks – to list their wares and build relationships with their customers. There are ‘drops’ when each seller releases small-batch products – hot meals, recipe boxes, groceries – for a limited amount of time, which helps put sustainability first, manage ingredients and tackle food waste.  Why is it good? Delli’s aim is to support the restaurants that were forced to pivot to retail during the pandemic and to highlight the care and attention that goes into making their food and drink. The app allows shoppers to read the chefs’

Ah, Michelin. The doughy, tyre-man mascot. Some say the awards are a bit elitist. Others criticise them for being too French. Regardless, every year, chefs across London hold their breath over the annual prize and fantasise about what it would mean to win a coveted star or two. Last year, was a weird one with the start of 2021 lost to lockdown. Restaurants have been trying to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels and for the past twelve months battling through a storm of staff shortages, food hikes and rent arrears. Despite its flaws, perhaps the 2022 Michelin Guide is a welcome respite from being in recovery mode and a well-deserved pat on the back for our beloved hospitality industry. There are seven new one-star restaurants in the capital, two new two-stars and no new three stars. Only a single restaurant has been given the proverbial chop and lost a star.  Here’s the full list of Michelin stars for London restaurants and who’s in, and who’s out: NEW ONE STARS Evelyn's Table, Soho – Luke Selby Frog by Adam Handling, Covent Garden – Adam Handling Jamavar, Mayfair – Surender Mohan Kol, Marylebone – Santiago Lastra Sollip, Southwark – Woongchul Park Trivet, Southwark – Jonny Lake Wild Honey St James, St James’s – Anthony Demetre  Photograph: Georgia RuddEvelyn's Table, which gets a first Michelin star NEW TWO STARS The Clove Club, Shoreditch – Isaac McHale, Daniel Willis and Johnny Smith Ikoyi, St James’s – Iré Hassan-Odukale and Chef Jeremy Chan WHO’S OUT  Celeste at th

Say it ain’t so! The beloved Middle Eastern restaurant Honey & Co founded by chef couple Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer will close in April after a decade in business.  Speaking about the closure, Srulovich said: ‘Sadly the time came to renew and the building was sold instead. While it was a bit of a blow after such a crazy 18 months, we are moving on and excited for the next 10 years of Honey & Co, whatever that may bring.’ Since opening the tiny restaurant in Fitzrovia in 2012, the pair have become known for serving some of the city’s finest Middle Eastern food, famed for its signature feta and honey cheesecake on kadaif pastry dessert. The restaurants catapulted them to new heights and the pair now write cookbooks and columns, host podcasts and teach classes. Honey & Co., it’s fair to say, ended up being so much more than just a bricks and mortar venue. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Honey & Co. (@honeyandco) ‘We had this simple idea to open a little place of our own – at first, we thought it would be a kebab shop, but we came to the idea of serving up all the dishes we missed from home: shawarma in the oven, delicious fresh salads, tahini with everything,’ Packer says. ‘Looking back, I was certain we wouldn’t do any cakes… and then the cheesecake happened.’ Luckily, its other nearby sites are still very much opened for business. The grillhouse Honey & Smoke on Great Portland Street and deli Honey & Spice also on Warren Street, are a

Did you know that the way to the heart is actually through the stomach? Sounds gross, but trust us on this one. That means that if you’re no Casanova in the kitchen, the approach of Valentine’s Day (Monday February 14) might have you breaking out in a sweat because Monday night is the least exciting day of the week to go out and many restaurants are closed on the big day. Fret not, you’ve not left it too late for deliveries, and these ever-reliable and ever-delicious London restaurants have pulled together some very special (and not to mention easy to assemble!) meal kits for the international day of lurrrve. That means you can focus on setting the mood at home just right, or just settling in for a night in front of Netflix (cos meal kit for one = the ultimate act of self-love). Spread the love and cook up a storm with some awesome Valentine’s meal kit options.  Andrew Edmunds Recreate some of that famed date night magic from one of London’s most romantic restaurants. Head chef Tom Trubshaw has designed a three-course menu that’ll have you fall head over heels in love, from creamy carrot and chestnut soup to confit duck leg and a layered black forest gateau. They’ve even thrown in some candles from Issy Granger to help really set the mood for an amorous tablescape. Kits before the big day have sold out, but they’ll be available until the end of next month. Who says love is only reserved for one day? £65. Pre-order for Feb 18, available for delivery until March 25. https://www

The Soho-based Iranian grill restaurant Berenjak is to open a second site this spring in Borough Market, moving into the space recently vacated by Flor (it was announced last week that Flor was closing, but don’t worry pastry heads, its bakery has moved just down the road in Bermondsey). For those unfamiliar, Berenjak is all about Persian-style cuisine like charcoal-grilled kababs and mazeh (small plates).  View this post on Instagram A post shared by 🇮🇷 Berenjak (@berenjaklondon) The new Borough location will use ingredients sourced from the market for an expanded menu that will feature several new homestyle Iranian dishes, including rotisserie saffron chicken zereshk pollow (barberry rice), alongside new mazeh and Iranian desserts. There’ll be plenty of signature classics too and, in a Berenjak first, grab-and-go takeaway lunches between Tuesdays and Thursdays. Interiors-wise, the space will be decorated with stained-glass windows, patterned tiles, hanging plants, rugs, dried flowers and artworks from the Persian diaspora. Berenjak, 1 Bedale St, SE1 9AL. Find more things to do in the Borough area with our guide. Hungry for more? Eat your way around London Bridge’s best restaurants.

While you can’t drink an NFT, that isn’t stopping chef-owner Adam Handling from going digital. His watering hole Eve’s Bar, which is located below his restaurant Frog in Covent Garden, has announced the launch of London’s first NFT cocktail menu. So, what does this mean exactly? Is this art? What do I get out of it? Is this the future? Well, the Adam Handling Restaurant Group are set to release London’s first NFT cocktail collection on Opensea (a large NFT marketplace) and this exclusive collection will include 13 pieces, created in collaboration with a local artist and various bartenders. The collection includes pieces inspired by Eve’s Bar signature cocktails and will have minimum prices to cover transaction fees. Prices are set to be as high as 2ETH (approx. £4,000 at time of writing). Photograph: Eve Bar Each NFT from the collection will come with proof of the ownership of the digital asset, a recipe card to make the unique drink at home. The buyer will also get the right to claim a number of the purchased cocktails, at the bar, in person.  What’s more, the collection will also feature three rare NFTs, which have been exclusively designed and created by Eve Bar’s manager, Marco Grisafi and head bartender Giulia Gazzetto, as well as bar manager Josh Linfitt from Ugly Butterfly. These will come with a top-secret one of a kind recipe, associated with their bespoke cocktail, that only the creator and buyer will own. The buyers of these rare NFTs will also receive a o

Naff cards, teddy bears, chocolates, anything heart-shaped and – above all – an intense pressure to book somewhere à deux for an unforgettable special dinner have come to define Valentine’s Day. But there are ways to enjoy food and drink on the prescribed day of love without succumbing to clichés, breaking the bank or developing some kind of romantic PTSD. Whether you’re loved-up with your boo, flying solo or just want to hang out with some pals, here are savvy ways to eat out – or in – this February 14 in London and make sure it’s memorable for all the right reasons. Photograph: David Loftus Have a really great breakfast instead of a mediocre dinner Being ‘romantic’ doesn’t have to mean a low-lit evening and an impossible-to-find 8pm table. Start your day with a visit to Soho stalwart Koya. There are no bookings here, but if you can, try and nab a spot at the bar and order the oh-so-satisfying english-breakfast udon noodles. Slurping from the same bowl to re-enact the famous ‘Lady and the Tramp’ spaghetti scene is optional. For a fancier affair, Mayfair’s The Wolseley is the place to break your fast. Opt for the fried duck egg with bubble-and-squeak and mushrooms, or the decadent signature fishcake with poached egg and hollandaise. For a taste of the Middle East, treat yourself to a big breakfast at Honey & Co in Warren Street. Choose from a selection of mezze, eggs, pastries and cakes. Then show you really care and pick up one of its special Valentine’s treats hampers w

Lahpet is opening a second site in Covent Garden and hungry Londoners can bag a 50 percent off bargain at the soft launch which will run from February 17 to 20 before it officially opens on February 21.  The Burmese restaurant started life as a street-food stall on Maltby Street, before opening a permanent space in Shoreditch. This central opening will be its biggest venture yet. The new space is in The Yards (that shiny new complex that houses the huge Dishoom). Founders Dan Anton and Zaw Mahesh, Lahpet’s head chef, will serve Myanmar street food-inspired staples and new regional specialities, including roasted pork belly and bamboo shoots, a spicy and sour rakhine fish noodle soup and shan fish and rice, a popular Shan State street-food dish of sea bream, potato and tomato. Photograph: Kathrin Werner That’s not all, it’s going to be a whopper of a venue, with space for 100 covers inside, a heated terrace on the first floor (with space for 50), and a small courtyard at the front. There will also be a large bar on the ground floor, with a mixture of counter and island seating, and a second bar on the first floor. The restaurant is also going to boast a new cocktail menu, including a Turmeric and Zuzu Sour and a Kumquat Spritz. Liberty Wines will supply the wine list. 21 Slingsby Place, WC2H 9DL. Check out more things to do in Covent Garden with our area guide. Room for more? Eat your way around central London’s restaurants.

What’s ‘Boiling Point’? Director Phil Barantini’s low-budget drama ‘Boiling Point’ is a one-take film set in a fictional restaurant in Dalston that follows stressed-out chef Andy Jones (Stephen Graham) and his staff trying to navigate the busiest night of the year as everything goes wrong. It’s a raw and honest depiction of restaurant work and the stresses of modern living.  Where is the restaurant featured in the film? The film was shot in Dalston restaurant Jones & Sons, which is owned by one of Barantini’s best and oldest friends Andy Jones (who Graham’s character is named after). ‘We met at Heathrow airport on the way up to Newcastle to be in a movie together, and we lived with each other on and off for years before we were both married,’ Jones says. ‘When I was looking for my first site ten years ago, just after my first son had been born, and was riffing business names with Phil on the phone, he said “You should call it something personal to you and your son, something like Jones & Sons” – and the rest was history.’ Photograph: Alex Fountain How did Barantini pull off filming in a busy working kitchen? The film’s story is set out in real time. One take. No cuts. The restaurant was closed during the week of filming and on weekdays during the three-week rehearsal period, but opened on the Saturdays and Sundays. The cast shadowed staff at Jones & Sons and a nearby Michelin-star restaurant to learn knife skills and how to work in a kitchen accurately. Jones says, ‘There